Imagine your wedding taking place on a beautiful beach in Hawaii, or at a ski lodge in Whistler… Imagine yourself feeling happy, and glad you've made the decision to fly away to this perfect spot. If you are reading this article, chances are that you ARE planning a destination dream wedding, and that you soon realized that having such a wedding requires even more planning than if you stayed home. It's a worthwhile decision to make, but it requires extra planning and smart thinking to make it less stressful, with few last minute surprises.

Planning is stressful. Making sure that you will have the right bouquet waiting for you can be one source of stress. You don't know if the florist will have all the right flowers on hand to create the arrangement that you had ordered. What if the flowers start wilting half-way through your wedding ceremony because they weren't fresh or refrigerated properly? If your wedding is taking place at an out-of-the-way location, getting specific flowers may be very hard to guarantee; unless you were referred to that florist by a happy bride, you really are placing your trust on someone you haven't met. Seeing your bouquet on the morning of your wedding could be a disappointment.

Many destination brides are choosing to bring along their bouquets in their luggage.

That's right! Because of an enormous improvement in high-end, premium silk flowers, they knew that their bouquets would look wonderful, and be perfectly botanically-correct. These bouquets are easy to pack, and still look great when unpacked. By choosing a great designer who works only with top-quality flowers, these women get the bouquet of their dreams, months in advance. One thing less to worry about now, and on their wedding day. Another advantage is that they can use them again for the reception when they get back home.

It's important to choose a designer that will work with you, customizing your arrangements as per your request, to help ensure your wedding will be picture-perfect, and a little bit less stressful. A good designer will work hard to ensure you get what you want, and will guarantee their work.

Andrée Laparé is the owner and designer at Mulberry Design, http://www.mulberrydesign.ca, a small rural floral design company in Nova Scotia specializing in sophisticated, premium silk wedding bouquets and arrangements that make brides shine.